Stocking stuffers don’t need to break the bank.

It seems like even when you start out with good intentions and get most of your items from the dollar store the stocking ends up costing you way too much money. Before I get into a list of inexpensive items to fill the stockings with, look at these 2 tips to help you get the most bang for your buck:

Tip 1: Fill it with larger items. Not only will this fill the stocking up faster and with fewer items, but you’ll also avoid some of those tiny knick-knacks that never actually get played with anyways.

Tip 2: Add a few things from around the house. Already have an apple in the pantry? Maybe some leftover boxes of crayons from your back-to-school stock up? You certainly don’t need to purchase everything from the store. You could even check out local yard sales for gently-used items!

Check out these creative ideas…

An apple

An orange (for some reason, kids get so much more excited about fruit if they find it in their stocking)

As long as you follow those tips and then just choose a few of these items, you’ll be set! And of course, balance it out with some candy, too. If you’re trying to limit the candy you could always include snacks like Goldfish crackers, granola bars and fruit snacks! They’ll take up some space and be much healthier choices.

What do you like to fill your kids’ stockings with for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!